metalogs | [Closed] More BatGym antics

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[Closed] More BatGym antics

Who: Jason Todd

robintohood, BatFamily members, and friends of BatFamily members who've been trusted with their secret identities
What: Various shenanigans taking place in the BatGym during October
When: Throughout October
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: None for now. Will edit if something comes up.

[After some drama that happened in August, Jason thought about abandoning the warehouse gym. It was supposed to be his own safehouse. Four (or five as it's likely Tim or Kon would've also told Bart) people knowing about it means it's much less secure than Jason would've liked.

On the other hand, he hasn't found another abandoned property with a fully equipped gym. The warehouse is still more private than a normal civilian gym. There's less of a need to be on guard and no concerns about sticking out too much. Jason and the rest of the BatFamily could use the space. It's large enough to possibly do other things too. As far as Jason knows, none of them have a BatCave in Central City.

On October 1st, he sends a message out to every BatFamily member that says if they want to use the place then they should help renovate it and they're free to make additions if they want. The message also says that they should use their best judgment about who else to invite.

Jason already cleaned up the equipment, rearranged the mats and set up blackout curtains on almost all the windows except for the skylight.

If you walk in on Jason, he might be working out or trying to do more renovations like cleaning up the backrooms.

Or Jason's not around and the BatGym is being used by other people. Have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's about 9:30 when Tim first comes to the gym. He doesn't want to play around with Jason keeping odd hours and trying to not confirm to a routine. They have to talk about Kai Parker's disappearance during the Confluence, the closing of the Ascendent, and what that means for the criminal element of the city.

He's brought a piece offering, or rather, he brings it in stages. Flatpack boxes that he spends entirely too much time making sure no one sees him bringing it. While he waits for Red Hood, Robin will very heroically put together a table and six chairs. ]

[It's nearly 10 before Jason shows up, dressed in his Red Hood gear. He's a little surprised when sees from the skylight Tim already there with a table and six chairs. He jumps onto a ceiling beam, then another, and then falls before grabbing the set of rings. Then he somersaults midair before landing on his feet onto a mat]

What's all this?

[ More like table and chair. It’s been a half hour; the rest aren’t done yet. Tim’s not THAT OP at life that he can vanquish IKEA so easily.

He responds without looking up from the Allen wrench that is at such an bizarre ankle he can barely manage a quarter turn before repositioning is necessary. ]

I thought the Birdie Dreamhouse could use some multipurpose furniture.

[Jason snorts before he takes off his helmet and sets it on the new table. He watches Tim work]

You're not wrong. You hauled all this by yourself or Superboy chipped in?

I hauled it in.

[ He finishes attaching the leg and uprights the second complete chair. Ugh, four more to go. Clearly, it's time for a break to do what he actually came for: talk to Jason.

Tim sits crosslegged, leaning back on his palms, and gives Jason a half-smirk. ]

Contrary to popular belief, I'm capable of lifting more than 5 pounds without Superboy. He's not here. The others aren't either, I swept the building. I wanted to talk to you about something.

[Jason senses that whatever Tim has in mind, it must be serious. Despite his little brother's assurances, Jason's still on guard for unpleasant surprises. He keeps his mannerisms casual though, or at least casual by Bat standards. No need to escalate things for now.

He slightly leans back on the table. His hands are visibly on it]

You're smaller than me and Dick and you're an acrobatic vigilante named after a songbird. You're tiny compared to us.

[It's a joking response given with Jason's own half-smirk to keep the mood relatively light]

What is it?

That just means I have to work twice as hard to not fall behind.

[ He’s not going to let Jason have this one, but he’s also not going to get into a drawn out trading of light insults. Tim sits up straighter. ]

The karaoke bar that I worked in - the Ascendant - was, in addition to its hipster tree in the middle of a karaoke bar aesthetic, a front for some sort of criminal and supernatural criminal temp agency. I don’t know all the ins and outs. I wasn’t trusted to work anything but the front end.

[ It’s slow-going to infiltrate anything when magic is involved. Tim had been hoping to work his way into a position of trust. ]

The owner’s gone. Kai Parker. I have to assume that he vanished in the Confluence, because it’s too clean a disappearance and anyone who could pull it off that well has a vested interest in keeping him alive. The Ascendant was a great place to meet - like the Iceberg Lounge, but with no visible connections to the wrong elements. Now there’s a vacuum.

[Jason takes a moment to take off his domino mask before looking back at Tim]

And you're concern about this vacuum.

[Jason knows Tim isn't telling him about the Ascendant's disappearance for shits and giggles. There's a specific reason why they're talking about this particular business endeavor]

I've heard about the place. Seemed interesting. One of the better shady bars in Central.

[Jason decides to feign some ignorance for now. He's not sure yet how much Tim knows about what his own criminal activities]

You're worried the wrong person's gonna take over? Or are you seeing this as an opportunity for something?

Aaand I’m concerned about the vacuum.

[ Tim gives the echo a different emphasis and takes off his own mask to match Jason’s comfort level. Keeping the mask on with someone who’s taken theirs off can be an off putting power move. ]

There’s a clear space to be filled. Someone is going to fill it, and they might not be as inclined to hire me. It was certainly handy to work there, although I had to be careful about what I acted on. I don’t think the replacement needs to be left to chance, though. The first accommodating place opens up will get the crowd. Decent space between tables, good drinks, distracting entertainment and a VIP area. Maybe a few private booths that can curtain off.

[ It’s not a hard business model to figure out. There’s a few more elements, obviously, including the initial connections to get that early customer base to spread by word of mouth, but Jason should know that better than Tim. ]

Cash heavy business, too.

[ It’s nonchalantly tacked on. He knows why it’d be appealing. ]

[A corner of Jason's lips quirks up at that tacked-on statement. He knows what Tim's trying to do]

Like they say, cash is king.

If someone were to fill in that vacuum, they're gonna need a lot of startup capital and enough people they can trust for employees.

[Again, he's feigning ignorance instead of admitting to what his resources are]

Edited 2022-10-11 02:10 (UTC)

[ Tim would be disappointed if he didn’t. ]

Yeah. Where am I going to find someone like that?

[ There’s a matching sly hint of a smile. ]

Man. You know what would really help the successor? If someone got into Kai’s office and helped the landlord clean it out. Get rid of all that paper.

[Jason's smirk slightly widens]

Yeah. It'd very helpful for plenty of people.

[Jason's fingers lightly tap on the table as he thinks]

You know, not just anyone can handle that kind of business. Gotta be dealing with lots of people and they're not always happy. Gotta have the stomach for it. It gets messy sometimes.

[ They’re both extremely committed to using no certain terms. ]

No, you’re right. That sort of business needs a very specific type of person running it, who maybe doesn’t have the same “line” as the rest of us, but a clearly defined line nonetheless. You know: lawful neutral. Someone who’ll ignore or skim the gambling, but maintain an angel shot policy, keep the worst messes out of the business, and not let any kids get hurt.

I don't know about "lawful" but someone neutral-ish could work. Don't suppose an experienced businessman like the old man would have some thoughts about this? Like I said, this could be messy to deal with. Frankly, I'm surprised you're the one bringing up something like this.

[Jason knows having a bar for a front would come very useful. He remains wary though as getting any family involved could complicated his personal endeavors and cross paths with his own gang]

Lawful in the tabletop meaning. It means that you have a code that you'll adhere to religiously. Not the government's or B's.

[ Jason does have an inner creed. It's a bit of a Frankensteined onion, but it exists. ]

You're not a true neutral - you have hard limits, so your choices are chaotic good or lawful neutral in my opinion. And I appreciate you thinking that this is somehow a step too far for me.

[ Tim's seen enough alternate futures to know that this is really nothing in the scheme of what he might do. ]

This is the prudent thing to do to keep the access that I had. I'm not going to do anything but work the bar for you. I'll listen, and I'll run anything I hear past you before I action it unless there's an active threat to someone. You're going to have to trust my judgment on it. If you're nice, I'll wire up whatever security you want.

[ Tim raises his voice and tips his head towards where he thinks Batman would bug the room. Call it a 64% chance. ]

And B should keep Matches Malone out of it. We've got this.

[Jason snorts from the rather pointed comment. He too knows there's a good chance the place has probably been bugged by Bruce]

You're really taking the initiative. What makes you think I got just enough of the right resources for this?

[Because the last time any family knew about his business, it didn't end well]

Should I sit home in my ankle booties and wait for B to invite me to get to work?

[ Tim will start work on the next chair - he'd like to get this done before they're done discussing it, so he's not left alone completing the chairs. ]

We're sitting a gym that you acquired and are fixing up. Even in a rough area, that takes money. If you were worried about falling out of shape, a gym membership is so much cheaper. I haven't seen you go to that garage in awhile, and the timing between the gym and garage is questionable. If you want to prop up your pretense, I can spend the next couple of days focused on you and only you so that we can have this conversation for real, or you can accept that, counting the reset of my universe, this is the third time I've been Robin when you were newly Red Hood. I know what you're doing, Jay. So does B.

[ Ah, another chair done. Just a few more to go. ]

[Welp. Seems like it's time to drop the act, especially now that he doesn't have a day job as a cover. Jason has been doing his best to hide his activities but since they were all given the same type of training, something was bound to slip]

Eventually you're all going to try and stop me.

[The amused banter has been dropped and his voice is colder]

[ Tim’s head snaps up at the change in tone, and he considers Red Hood for quite a long time. How he’s acted, the amount of tolerance he’s shown Tim, the almost brotherly relationship. They will never best friends, but Tim has several.

When Tim replies, he’s calm and measured. ]

You’re not going to try to kill me. I don’t know what I’m going to do in a world where I can say that from the start, so how can you know what I’ll do?

[Jason sees the way Tim snaps at attention from his tonal change. He remains where he is to show he won't lunge at Tim for now.]

Because you still work with him and a damn good idea of the shit I've done before. I know the lines you both have and the lines I have. They're not the same.

I’m not Batman. I’m Robin, and, yes, that means I try to follow his rules. Just like you and Dick. God, you were so much better at it than me. Dick made it look easy; you made it look fun. I had to work so hard for this. I had to fight and lie for this. I’m trying to help us both right now, and you think I’m too sanctimonious to keep snooping around a shady bar? I’ve been doing just that for four months, Hood. Do you see Batman benching me for anything other than the Joker? Who knows who I am and what I look like and, boy howdy, does he fucking hate us.

[ He surprises himself, by going there. He hasn’t made much mention of the Joker, to anyone, but it’s a constant weight and he’s so, so tired. ]

I need a job, and I want to know I’ve got backup while I’m there because he’s out there. I want to know you’ve got backup, because I’m better than whatever goons you dredged up. You keep me out of your crack empire and stick to your rules about kids and sex trafficking, and we can watch each other’s backs.

[ He flips the lenses down on his mask, because he can hear it in his voice how upset he’s getting. ]

I know what it’s like. I know - Captain Boomerang killed my dad. Because I’m Robin. I almost killed him. I wouldn’t -

[ Stop you. ]

Edited 2022-10-18 02:33 (UTC)

[Silence. For a long moment, Jason's silent. It's a lot to process. The admiration Tim had for him as Robin he's heard before but the way he said it just now is hard to fake.

Then there's the mention of the Joker. Neither of them have talked much about Tim's kidnapping. Unhealthily suppressing emotions is a common trait in the family. Jason knew he couldn't force Tim to talk so he didn't press the issue and instead, ramped up his efforts in searching and killing the Joker. It has to pay off eventually.

In the meantime, Jason knows Tim is afraid but is surprised the third Robin is admitting it like this. It's a much deeper fear than what most Gothamites have. It's so much more personal. Jason understands fear all too well. Most nights he still hears in his head that monster's sick maniacal laughter. No one knows all the ways the monster haunts him every night. It's a very difficult thing to admit. It's to admit weakness and to leave him vulnerable to other people's judgement and questioning his actions.

Jason knows Tim flipping the lenses down wasn't just a random action when he admitted to the damage the Joker has left on him.

Jason had shunned getting proper backup because of a lack of trust. Tim is choosing to do things different.

And then there's the Code. The one that Bruce has held above all else, even above his son. Again, Jason realizes he's wrong about Tim. Tim is more different from Bruce than he thought]

What stopped you?

[Jason's voice is quiet and missing the defensive and suspicious cold tone he was using before. It's sympathetic and empathetic]

[ He’s concentrating on breathing. In and out. Normal respiration. Tim’s willing himself back to calm because it’s done the apparently necessary sharing to get Jason to stop seeing him so much as an annoying potential threat and maybe start seeing him as a person with similar feelings and experiences.

Tim hates that he had to share this much with no guarantee of success. He’s showed Jason at least four buttons to press in that monologue.

The question isn’t surprising, but the answer hurts, because Tim still isn’t sure he’s not lying to himself. ]

I set it up so Freeze would kill Harkness. I calculated over a thousand pathways that didn’t end in that confrontation, but he’s a scumbag so it went the one bad route. I had a failsafe, but I didn’t use it. When it came down to it… I didn’t want anyone else to kill him.

[ He’s tight and emotionless in his delivery. It’s all Robin, like he’s giving report. ]

I took out Freeze and fought Boomerang myself. I hit him with his own boomerang, and he stumbled backwards off the roof. I didn’t want him to kill himself. I caught him with my line, and he looked right at me and goes “You don’t have the stones, mate.”

[ And he slips from the imitation Aussie accent back into just Tim. He tells himself it’s all the code switching. It’s not. ]

I wanted him to be afraid of me. I wanted to drop him, but all I could think about was my dad. He knew Captain Boomerang was after him. He called me, but I -

[ Got there too late. Raced through a dead silent house to find Jack Drake and Digger Harkness dead in wide pools of blood. His dad’s eyes were open. The blood got all over Tim. It’s not something that can forgotten, just buried and ignored.

Breathe. Nice and even. Normal respiration. ]

Dropping him would’ve been too easy.

[ That’s not piety. That’s cold-blooded malice from someone who is more than capable of making sure Digger Harkness never has anything nice in his life. ]

Edited 2022-10-18 04:31 (UTC)

[Seeing Tim forcing himself to breathe normally is enough of a sign for Jason to recognize just how much Tim wanted Harkness suffering and dead. Trying to switch to the Robin tone like he's giving a brief to Bruce is just a defense from admitting just how close he was to crossing the line. One doesn't recall fighting a loved one's murderer without getting emotional.

Jason recognizes all of that from himself. When Black Mask freed the Joker and then Jason successfully grabbed the lunatic, Jason could've just shot him several times over after that. But no. Jason needed the Joker to get a taste of what he went through first. An eye for an eye. A crowbar beating for a crowbar beating. Cold-blooded torture to the one who tortured. As far as Jason's concerned, that's true justice.

A difference between Jason and Tim is that Jason's emotions are usually more visible compared to Tim's. But it seems they have more in common than Jason thought]

You came close. Hell of a thing to do.

[There's no judgement in his tone. It's only a statement of fact]

The old man ever found out about what you did? Or tried to do?

[ Just because he hides them doesn’t mean they’re not there: Tim’s not a sociopath. It’s be everything he needs to be and spend a healthy amount of time with his emotions. Instead it has to be bled out like steam from an over pressurized boiler. ]

I don’t think I’ve seen him that furious before. No - disappointed. It didn’t matter that I’d saved him. B knows how I think; he understood what I did. He knew that I knew that Harkness would only ever choose wrong.

[ There wasn’t any evidence. He was Moriarty, nothing more, but that’s an ugly brag. ]

I don’t know what he would’ve done. The short explanation is someone messed around with the universe and caused it to hit refresh. When it reloaded the previous save, no one remembered the past 3 or 4 years, and we lived through them again. Zatanna unlocked my memories, and most people got at least some memories back. He hasn’t mentioned it. I haven’t asked him.

[ Tim hasn’t done anything that out of order since then. Maybe Bruce doesn’t remember. Maybe Tim’s re-proven himself. He forgave Jason for shooting the Penguin. Tim’s not about to bring it up. ]

I can’t make you not throw it in his face.

Closed to Jason

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